Daily almanac

Saturday

Today is Saturday, June 2, the 153rd day of 2007. There are 212 days left in the year.

Today is Saturday, June 2, the 153rd day of 2007. There are 212 days left in the year.

HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY

In 1857, 150 years ago, English composer Edward Elgar was born in Worcester, England.

In 1886, President Cleveland married Frances Folsom in a White House ceremony.

In 1897, Mark Twain, 61, was quoted by the New York Journal as saying from London that "the report of my death was an exaggeration."

In 1924, Congress granted American citizenship to all U.S.-born American Indians.

In 1946, the Italian monarchy was abolished in favor of a republic.

In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II of England was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI.

In 1966, the U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.

In 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.

In 1987, President Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

In 1995, a U.S. Air Force F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb surface-to-air missile while on a NATO air patrol in northern Bosnia. The pilot, Capt. Scott F. O'Grady, was rescued six days later.

Ten years ago: Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the Oklahoma City bombing. (McVeigh was executed in June 2001.)

Five years ago: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat offered cabinet posts to militant groups as part of a government reshuffle.

One year ago: The United Nations General Assembly concluded a conference on AIDS by promising to set "ambitious national targets," but falling short of setting exact financial goals for the fight against the disease.